The government has endorsed the dredging of the Cagayan and Bicol rivers following the deadly floods that hit Cagayan Valley region in northern Luzon and Bicol region in southern Luzon during the onslaught of successive typhoons this month. On Monday, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said it had allowed the Cagayan provincial government to dredge the Cagayan River after Typhoon “Ulysses” (international name: Vamco) last week triggered widespread floods that devastated the province. In a statement, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said he had approved the request of Gov. Manuel Mamba to dredge some 30 kilometers of Cagayan River, the longest river in the country that travels around 520 km.

Enano, J. O., Arguelles, M. S., & Adonia, M. (2020, November 17). Dredging of Cagayan Bicol rivers approved. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A5.